


Don't Give Up On Love

by ForelsketParadise



Series: Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition Season 8 [11]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Sirius Black & James Potter Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27221392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForelsketParadise/pseuds/ForelsketParadise
Summary: After having a talk with Petunia James starts to second guess himself and his relationship with Lily
Relationships: James Potter & Lily Evans Potter, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & James Potter
Series: Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition Season 8 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1866460
Kudos: 11





	Don't Give Up On Love

Team- Kenmare Kestrels.  
Position- beater 1  
Prompt- Write about someone facing an unexpected setback  
Additional prompt- 9 (dialogue) "Please don't walk away from this—from us."  
3 (dialogue) "You've never been one to give up when the going gets tough, so don't start now."  
Word count- 2068 

*********************************  
It has been three days since James last saw Lily. She has been pulled from school earlier than the rest of them. She has left a note for him saying that her parents have been killed by the Death Eaters. That is the last time he has heard from her.

After much probing, Professor Mcgonagall has finally told him Lily's address. He is going to visit her straight from King's Cross station later today.

"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?" Sirius asks him for the nth time. 

James and his friends are on the train ride back to London, returning home after their sixth year.

"No, I don't want to overwhelm her with people so soon after her parents' death. Even if it's her own friends," he tells him.

"But, James-" Marlene is interrupted by James.

"I know you guys want to help but, I know how suffocating it is to be surrounded after losing someone close. I am sure she has already been hovered over by her relatives so it's better to go easy on her for now," he insists.

"Fair enough. Don't forget to inform us about the funeral arrangements. We would like to visit and pay our respects to Mr and Mrs Evans," Remus reminds him.

"I promise as soon as I have some details I am going to call you, and you can tell everyone else," James tells him.

"You are not taking your owl with you then?" Frank asks him.

"Better yet, you know how to use a telephone?" Alice chimes in between.

"Well, I am going to be in a Muggle neighborhood, aren't I? And Lily taught me how to use one during the Christmas break when I visited her," James answers them.

That seems to satisfy his friends and they spend the rest of the ride playing exploding snaps.

They are finally at King's Cross station bidding goodbye for the summer. 

"Let us know if you need anything, okay?" Sirius reminds him.

"I will, Padfoot," James promises.

They share a hug before everyone departs their own ways. 

James is standing in front of Lily's childhood home ready to knock when the door opens abruptly. He looks up to see Petunia standing in the doorway looking furious at him.

"What are you doing here?" Petunia harshly asks him.

"I am here to see Lily," he tells her. 

"You can't see her. Your kind have already done enough damage to her. Leave her alone. Leave now!" Petunia responds.

James is confused now. What damage is she talking about?

"What are you talking about?" He asks her.

“Your lot took her away from us. Away from normal people like us and made her a freak," she shouts at him.

"And if that wasn't enough, you took our parents’ lives. It’s your fault that they are dead," she is seething now.

"My fault?" James chokes out. Why would Lily's parents’ death be his fault? 

"My parents are dead because you are dating Lily. Your kind killed them because she is dating you. Do me a favor and get out of her life before you kill her as well," Petunia shouts at him.

James can't believe what he is hearing. Lily's parents were killed because she is dating him?

"Who told you that?" he manages to ask her.

"Nobody has to tell me anything. Don't you have magical parents? What are your kind called? Purebred or something-"

"Your kind don't mingle with people like Lily, isn't it? That's what you told dad over Christmas anyways. You got close to Lily; that's why those terrorists of yours killed my parents. It would be better if you just leave," Petunia scathingly tells him.

Feeling confused and lost, James leaves the Evans residence without meeting Lily in a daze. 

Somehow, he manages to take the Knight Bus to home. Sirius is surprised to see James standing in the doorway. 

James doesn't notice him and starts walking towards his room. Sirius follows behind him.

"Prongs? Why are you home right now? Weren't you going to stay with Lily?" Sirius starts asking questions, but James doesn't hear him at all.

"James, answer me, dammit," Sirius shouts at his retreating back. 

It isn't until James locks himself inside his room that he finally processes what Petunia told him.

The more he thought about it the more it makes sense to him. The Death Eaters didn't target Lily until after she started dating him.

They are after her because of her connection to him, a blood traitor.

Her parents are dead because of their relationship.

The realisation makes him feel dizzy and nauseous. It is his fault. Everything is his fault.

He starts sobbing after realising that he is ruining Lily's life.

He is so lost in his head that he can't hear the conversation outside his door.

"James, open the door-" 

"Sirius, calm down."

"Moony, don't tell me to calm down. Prongs isn't opening his door-"

"I know that, but you are not helping him shouting like that-"

"And you are?"

"I will if you would let me-"

"How?"

"Like this-"

"Alohomora" Remus opens the door and they enter the room to see James curled around himself crying.

They sit besides him on either side and shake his shoulder. James looks up with a start. 

"How did you get in here?" he asks them.

"I called him immediately after you came home. We literally just broke into your room right now," Sirius replies.

"Oh," James lets out.

"Prongs, what's wrong? Why aren't you with Lily?" Remus gently asks him.

"Petunia didn't let me see her," he answers.

"Why?" Sirus questions him.

"Petunia thinks that it's my fault that their parents are dead. She doesn't want me anywhere near their house," James replies.

"That's rubbish," Sirius declares.

"Isn't it, though?" James questions them.

"What do you mean?" Remus asks him.

"Lily's parents were attacked because she is dating me. If we weren't dating, then her parents would still be alive," James admits.

"James, that's nonsense," Sirius exclaims. 

"No, it isn't, it perfectly makes sense. I am the reason everything is wrong in her life," James shakes his head.

"James, you seriously can't believe that," Remus says in disbelief.

"Well, I do believe that," James lets out a frustrated cry.

"Then you are an idiot," Sirius tells him.

"James, her family was attacked because she is a Muggle-born, not because she is dating you," Sirius tries to explain it to him.

"If- that is the case, then why were they attacked now? The war has been going on for four years now. They could have attacked them anytime. Why did they only do it after we started dating?" James jerks their hands off his shoulder, stands up and asks them furiously.

They didn't have an answer to him.

"I don't know what Petunia told you to make you believe that, but what you are thinking is totally wrong. None of this is your fault. If anyone is to be blamed, then it's Voldemort and his Death Eaters," Remus firmly tells him.

"Besides, it has to be a coincidence. Nobody outside our friend circle knows that you guys are dating. None of us would rat you out to them so they had no way of knowing about it," Sirius adds.

James just stands there, quietly processing his thoughts. His heart tells him that his friends are right, but his mind isn't ready to accept it.

There is still this nagging voice in his head that is telling him that Petunia is right. He isn't good for Lily. He needs to stay away from her.

"Please, just leave me alone," he says before rubbing a hand over his face.

Sirius and Remus glance at each other before deciding to give him his space.

"Alright, we are downstairs if you need us," Sirius tells him before they leave him alone.

Two days later, James is dragged to the funeral by Sirius and Remus. 

"Let me go. I shouldn't be here," he tells them.

"Don't be so difficult, James. I know you want to be here for Lily," Sirius warns him.

"What I want is not important. Lily won't be safe with me here," he tells him.

"Nonsense," Sirius dismisses him.

"You've never been one to give up when the going gets tough, so don't start now,-" Remus tells him patting his shoulder before heading towards their friends.

"James, you have holed yourself in your room for the past two days over some silly notion. I won't have you ruin a perfectly healthy relationship over something that isn't true. You are here now, be there for Lily for now and later you can talk with her and solve this together. Be there for your lady," Sirius advises him before he too joins his friends.

James takes a deep breath and immediately finds Lily standing with Marlene, softly talking to her.

He takes a step towards her, but then he catches Petunia's eyes. She is glaring at him from her spot beside Vernon. 

He is immediately reminded of their conversation. He feels ashamed just by being there. He retreats back to the entrance of the church and Apparates back home totally unaware of the pair of green eyes following his movement. 

A few days later, Lily visits James at the Potter residence. Sirius is already waiting for her at the entrance.

"Sirius, where is James?" she goes straight to the point.

"Upstairs in his bedroom," Sirius replies.

She gives him a nod and marches up the stairs.

"Lily, don't let him give up," Sirius calls out to her back.

"Lily is going to make him see some sense," he mutters to himself. 

Upstairs, Lily is trying to get James to open the door.

"James, open the door right now," she firmly orders him.

James opens the door in a moment, feeling shocked to see her at his home.

"Lily? What are you doing here?" he asks her, utterly confused at seeing her there.

"We need to talk," she tells him and walks inside the room.

They sit in silence on the bed facing each other.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Lily finally breaks the silence.

"I-" James averts his eyes. He doesn't want to answer her question.

"Look at me, James," Lily softly calls out.

When James doesn't look at her, she cups his face and makes him look at her.

"Did you take what Petunia said to heart?" she asks him.

"How do you know about it?" he stammers out. 

"I heard her shouting at you from upstairs. But you were gone before I could stop you. You didn't even see me at the funeral," she replies.

James doesn't reply to her.

"James you know what she is saying is not correct, right?" she probes.

James still doesn't reply to her.

"James, please say something," she pleads.

"Lily, we can't do this. She is right about it," he finally speaks.

"Are you going to break up with me?" she questions him.

James bites his lips in response.

"Please don't walk away from this—from us," Lily pleads with him. 

James really wants to listen to her. He wants to be with her as much as she wants to be with him.

But, he can't help but listen to his mind that's telling him to break up with her to keep her safe.

Seeing that James is struggling to reply to her. She takes matter into her own hands.

"Listen to me carefully. I am in danger with the Death Eaters even if you break up with me. I am a Muggle-born and this is a war against us. I am still going to a target. Voldemort won't rest until he has taken care of every single Muggle-born in Britain," she sternly tells him.

James sees the truth in her words. He still isn't fully convinced but now he is at least willing to stay with her instead of breaking up with her.

"I am sorry," he asks for forgiveness from her.

"Oh, James. You don't have to be sorry for being protective of me. But yes, thinking about breaking up with me? That's stupid of you," Lily consoles him.

"I am really sorry," James hugs her tightly.

"It's okay, we are okay now," Lily continues to console him, as he sobs in her arms.

She knows he is still blaming himself but she also knows with time that will go away too. For now they are okay. They will be okay.


End file.
